29

I don't know how but every year, regardless of it I've been blogging constantly or not, I find myself sitting down in the middle of January to review my year. I guess it's become a bit of a tradition, but seriously, reading last year's post back, it seems like no time has gone at all.

So 2019 was quite a big year for me looking back.

Firstly, James & I bought our first home together! I've mentioned previously our journey with properties; which have included renting our first 1 bed flat back in 2017, we then moved in Spring 2018 to a 2 bed house, to now finally being able to say we are the owners of a 3 bed house as of September last year! I do really want to write a full post on our homes & how special they've all been ('cos lets be real here, I get seriously attached to things waaaaay too much) but re-reading last year's post & remembering writing the sentence "We haven't decided what we are planning yet for our next move & if we'll be here a while longer, but everything seems to be moving in the right direction, so watch this space" I genuinely remember typing that as I was scrolling through Rightmove looking at all the amazing houses & setting up viewings, which we started in February last year. It was a complete roller-coaster. I lost count of how many properties we viewed (yes I am picky, but I'm so pleased I was as our property now is everything I hoped for) & I knew it would take time for the right one to come along. Anyway, fast forward to the end of September & we got given the keys & the rest is history. I can't begin to tell you how happy we are here, to have celebrated our first Christmas in our new place was so special, surrounded by amazing friends & family. There really was nothing like it.

Another massive change in our lives is James & I have adopted our first fur baby! I'm actually writing this on Wednesday 15th January & we are picking him up on Saturday 18th & we actually can't wait. I'm not sure when this post is going live, but yay! If you want to see lots of puppy content, head over to my Instagram account. We have also set up a home account, which you can follow & I'll link pup's here too.

Ah so now would be a good time to mention fitness maybe? Start of the New Year, new you right? What a load of rubbish! Haha. However, last year I did discover an exercise that I love, it definitely deserves a mention. If you know me, you know I'm not a massive fan of exercise. I tried the gym (once, hated it!) but I found a class with my work besties that I actually look forward to & feel fabulous afterwards. It's called Bounce. It's honestly so much fun, we do a class once a week (wish I could do more, but just depends on working hours) but I honestly can't recommend it enough. I'm still not there 100% with my fitness, but it's definitely helped me get on the right track. I'm so grateful as well but for my birthday this year, my Grandad kindly bought me a Fitbit, so I'm extremely excited to track my calorie burn at class.

Leading nicely on from my Bounce classes, last year James & I took part in the South Coast Challenge. We walked 25km, from Eastbourne to Alfriston over the Seven Sisters - raising just under £1000 for The Alzheimer's Society in memory of my Nan. It was an incredibly emotional day, for myself & my family, but I was so proud of us for doing it. As we'd been training for the walk, I found some beautiful places in our home town. I feel like it was a year for discovering new things that actually were right under our noses to start with. There's nothing better than walking out your front door & being able to walk to town in 20 minutes, but equally, 5 minutes down the road you find the most beautiful countryside. Feeling so extremely lucky. 

As well as raising money for The Alzheimer's Society, I couldn't forget about the other amazing charities. My work ladies & I took part in the Race For Life this Summer & raised an incredible £1100 for Cancer Research. Sally is trying to persuade me to do the Pretty Muddy this year & as I'm away for normal RFL, I don't see how I'm going to get out of it.. haha! We also took part in Wear It Pink, Children In Need, Christmas Jumper Day, Elf Day & Red Nose Day, where we dressed up as superheroes. I also organised 2 extremely successful quiz nights as work. The most recent one being last Friday where a last minute raffle managed to raise £150 for The National Kidney Federation. I'm extremely passionate about raising money for charity & even though it's going to be hard to top last year I'm going to try my absolute hardest to keep raising as much money as possible for these amazing causes.

So onto a completely different side of the year was all the incredible places I visited. It wasn't a year of big holidays - but James & I managed to spend 3 nights in one of our favourite places, the New Forest. We did this a few years ago & loved it so much, it's the perfect base for travelling to Bournemouth for the day & we also explored the surrounding area. I honestly can't recommend it enough. We were also lucky enough to visit my godparents in Cambridge In September. I used to go & stay with them for a few days when I was younger, but hadn't been to Cambridge for years so it was lovely to explore again. Oh & I had the best few days away with the girls. We booked a lovely 2 night stay in Birdham at the end of October & it was honestly amazing. Highlight? THE ORANGE TWIRLS! Hahaha. I joke, we made some amazing memories & I'm extremely grateful to them all.

Apart from holidays, I was lucky enough to go to London with our family, to see the amazing Phantom of the Opera, as well as recently Dear Evan Hansen with my girls. I would highly recommend seeing both if you get the chance. Dear Evan Hansen blew me away completely as I had no idea of the story before seeing the show & it was simply beautiful. We also saw McFly in November which was absolutely amazing. My teenage self could not contain the excitment, despite being in the scariest seat in the world. Hahaha! 

I also got to meet two new arrivals last year; Gemma had her second little one Harry & Sarah welcomed baby Ella into the world. Both absolutely gorgeous & I can't wait to watch them grow up.

& someone else who has grown up ALOT, is Honey. My little girl celebrated her 10th birthday in October & we threw her a sausage birthday party! Make sure you check out the photos on my Instagram page, she had the best day!

 Oh & I can't fail to mention hosting another 2 events - my Easter Party & Summer BBQ. The Summer BBQ I do every year but the Easter Party was such a success, I'm hoping to do that again this year!

So there we go, these are my highlights. I started this post thinking shit, what am I going to write about?! I haven't done anything this year, but actually looking back at all my photos, I've actually done quite a lot & achieved so much. So how am I going to end this.. Promise to blog more? Exercise more? Adopt more dogs?? Haha, that last one sounds like the most likely to happen. But in all seriousness, my Fitbit is currently vibrating my wrist, telling me to move more, so I'm actually going to walk round the garden a few times & grab some lunch.

Thankyou if you've made it to the end of this post. It's actually felt lovely being able to put all this down & review the year. I have an amazing feeling about 2020, I'm not going to lie. 

Oh & before I forget, here's the link to my last blog post. Honestly, please give Anna's book a read if you're thinking about setting up some goals for this year. It's never too late to start a new habit : )

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28

No waaaaaay am I 2 years off of being 30?! Stop the world.. I want to get off!

Seriously though, where has this year gone? I know I type this most years.. but I'd love to know the answer to that question. Someone actually said to me the other day the world is spinning faster, so time is going quicker & I'm actually starting to believe them..

Anyway! Time for me to look back over the past year of being 27..

We moved.. again!

I mentioned in last year's post we had some exciting news about moving to a 2 bed house last April & I can confirm, everything went to plan & I'm currently sitting in our living room, log fire burning, in my onesie & I couldn't be happier. It was definitely the right decision to leave the flat when we did, even though I cried like a baby on the day we moved out! I get so emotionally attached to things & obviously our first home together meant alot to me, even though looking back, it wasn't the nicest place in the world. The house we are in now has a perfect sized garden; quite small, but I love nothing more than sitting outside in the Summer at our garden table, with my morning cup of tea. I'm counting down the days when it's warm enough to do that again. We haven't decided what we are planning yet for our next move & if we'll be here a while longer, but everything seems to be moving in the right direction, so watch this space!

Holidays

James & I were lucky enough to go on 2 big holidays with family this year; we firstly jetted off to Kefalonia in June & it was honestly one of the most beautiful places I've been to. Definitely my favourite out of the 3 Greek islands we have visited. We also were lucky enough to go to Quimper for a week in July, where we had our own pool & plenty of activities to keep us entertained! I also spotted a wild seal which was amazing.

Events 

This year has been full of exciting things! Here are a few; I met baby Ru, James & I attended Crufts for a 2nd time & met JP the pug, we sat & ate dinner outside in our own garden, we visited Hever Castle, I held a Eurovision party, I took part in my first escape room & went on to do 2 more, I went to Kefalonia & Quimper, I saw Legally Blonde & The Play That Goes Wrong with the girls, I became a gardener, I organised a brunch & Christmas dinner for my work ladies, I held my annual Summer BBQ, I attended my first murder mystery night, James & I attended 2 weddings; Matt & Alice's in Bristol & our best friend's Mils & Craig's, I organised a surprise birthday party for Elisa, read 6 books, went for afternoon tea with Mum for her birthday, went to my first pumpkin picking patch, travelled to Devon for a mini holiday to visit Nicola, dressed up as an elf for charity & went for a job interview, went to Glow Wild with the girls & finally hosted Christmas Day.

I mentioned in my last post it's incredibly hard to put a stamp on the whole year as being 'good' or 'bad'. I had some wonderful things happen last year as I've listed above, but it's funny how one thing can tip the year on it's head.

I lost someone incredibly close to me last year & it was one of the toughest things I've had to deal with. It's still incredibly hard & everyday something will remind me of my Nan & bring a smile to my face. Some days are harder than others & I still can't really get my head around the fact she's gone. Nothing really prepares you for losing someone but I honestly wouldn't have got through last year without my amazing friends & family, so thank you guys.

Here's to 2019; a fresh start & the year of being 28.. here's hoping it's a good one : )

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Life Lately #150

Hi lovelies!

I'm officially back from my 'blogging break'. I really hate saying that, as I'm not actually sure what qualifies for a break anymore.. but I think this has been the longest time period where I haven't blogged & I've missed it. I thought I better start with an update post (number 150!) from this past month as I feel like so much has happened..

As this weather has been so beautiful recently, I've been spending more & more time in our garden. My plants however are not loving it so much.. my strawberry plant in particular! But I have been loving growing my own vegetables & fruit in our garden this Summer. Our onions are currently flourishing & the lettuces we grew were so successful. I've got another post on the sidelines about falling in love with my garden this summer which should hopefully be published in the next few weeks.

James' brother Alex celebrated his 22nd birthday at the beginning of July. Our present to him was a day out to Brighton to do an Escape Room. I completed my first escape room at the beginning of June with the girls & loved it so much, I thought it would be the perfect present for Alex. We completed the room in 58 minutes just in time & then headed to Nandos for lunch. England were playing in the world cup at 3pm, so we rushed home in time for the match!

That evening we headed to Valerie & Barrie's for a Murder Mystery night. I'd never done one before so wasn't sure how it all worked, but it was really good fun. We each got sent our characters a week or so before, so we knew a bit about them & how to dress & act at dinner. The game also comes with a tape & you follow a script to find out who committed the crime. I was Lady Shippe, the widow of Lord Shippe & James was the local vicar who was into drinking & gambling! We thought we would find out the murderer quite early on, but it kept us guessing right till the end. I'd highly recommend taking part in one if you haven't before!

Oh & I held my annual Summer BBQ, which was amazing as ever! It always feels like the day goes so quick, what with all the planning & preparation, but it's always so much fun. I love getting everyone together & playing games as the sun sets. We had the most amazing weather as well.

James & I headed up to Bristol for Matt & Alice's wedding. James was an usher for Matt, so we attended the rehearsal on the Friday evening before the big event on Saturday. It was so much fun meeting all their friends & family & getting to celebrate the day with them.

& finally, at the end of July, we went to Quimper in France for a week with James' family. It was a week full of exploring, socialising & relaxation. The accommodation came with a private pool, which was so nice, as the weather was just as hot as England at the time.

So I think that's about it! I'm currently working my second to last shift before 9 days off from work & I couldn't be more excited. I'm planning on doing a Summer / Autumn clean (is that a thing?) in our house & organising a few days out with my girls but otherwise, I haven't got much on, just going to make the most of the last of the Summer if the weather co-operates!

I'd love to hear if you've been anywhere nice this year? Or still have any holidays coming up? : )

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Life Lately #149

Hello lovelies,

If you follow me on Twitter, Instagram or read my blog regularly, you'll know I've recently been on holiday to Kefalonia in Greece. I'm going to write a full post about our holiday, but for now, let me just say it was one of the most stunning places I've ever visited. The views were breath-taking & the sea was the most beautiful shade of blue. I've already written a post about how to deal with the holiday blues as I'm missing it so much! But I can't wait to show you all the photos from the places we explored. (keep an eye out for that post coming soon!)

On Saturday, we finally got to give Char her birthday day out to Brighton. We started with breakfast at The Breakfast Club, a place I've wanted to visit for years! They do the most amazing breakfasts as I'm sure you can imagine. I couldn't decide between the pancakes & a full English, so ended up having bacon, sausages, egg & pancakes on the side! It was honestly so delicious & not at all greedy of me..

We then headed to Churchill Square to do some shopping before walking to the theatre to see Legally Blonde the musical, which has been on my list to see for the longest time. It was absolutely amazing. Rita Simons was fantastic playing Paulette & she had great chemistry with her co-stars. I also didn't expect the show to have real life doggies in it as well, which was an added bonus! We got to meet Rufus (Bertie) outside the theatre when we left, he was the cutest bulldog but sadly we didn't get to see Bruiser.

Last Sunday, it was Father's Day, so I visited both my grandparents & my dad with some gifts & to have a catch up. I headed over quite early to see my family as I'm still trying to sort out the house after holiday! We currently have clothes everywhere.. all clean but just scattered through-out the house! I really need to start selling some again soon..

Oh & in case you didn't know, the World Cup has started..

James is mad on football, so he is in his element with all the matches (3 a day! Sometimes 4!) We watched England play on Monday with some friends & what can I say.. I'm just glad we had Love Island to watch after.. ; D

& speaking of Love Island, I spent my day off yesterday in my garden, catching up on the episode from the night before. Are you watching this year? I have to admit I wasn't as keen when it started as I have been in previous years, but I'm really getting into it now! Relationships are being tested & new people are coming & are hopefully going to stir everything up.. it's very exciting! Who are your favs?

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How To Beat Those Holiday Blues

I'm currently sitting on my sofa, with a cup of tea. I've just walked home from work & I'm tired. I'm cold. I have an over-whelming feeling of being 'lost' & alone & all I want to do is get on a plane & fly back to Kefalonia.

I have the holiday blues.

I have to be honest & say I don't think I've ever had the holiday blues up until now. I've come back off of holiday on a few occasions & for the first week thought "awwh man, we would have been on that boat trip this time last week" or "remember that buggy ride where I thought I was going to die!?" but I've never actually had an overwhelming feeling of sadness & felt like something is missing like this.

It's a difficult thing to get your head around tbh. At the end of the holiday, I was actually missing home & couldn't wait to get back to my own bed & see my house plants (how sad am I) but now, all I want to do is get back on that sunbed & take a dip in the pool with Sally the flamingo. I miss waking up with the sun on my face, wearing my swimwear under my day clothes as it was guaranteed we'd go somewhere to take a dip in the sea & I miss my holiday family! I couldn't have asked to have gone away with more amazing people.

Anyway. This post is actually about ways of getting over the holiday blues so I've put together a few tips & tricks to make coming home & dealing with this feeling that little bit easier.

Prepare for landing
By this I mean, prepare for your arrival back home. There is nothing worse than being on the plane & visualising your house, in complete chaos because you didn't do those household chores before you left. When I'm packing, I make such a mess. I dig out all my clothes, try them all on & therefore leave half my wardrobe spread across the floor. Try to organise yourself by either putting the clothes away again if you decide not to take them on holiday with you, or pack a few days before, so you have time to tidy up afterwards. The washing up & emptying the fridge are massive things for me too. You don't have to use up everything, or wash every plate, but don't leave items that you know will go off when your away. Throw them away or eat them before you leave.

Take photos
Sometimes looking back at photos can make you feel more down as it brings back memories, but I actually find this helps me. When I look at a photo, I imagine myself back in the moment & try to remember how I felt. A lot of the photos from our holiday to Kefalonia were of the beach & it instantly makes me feel happy & warm inside when I remember us watching the sun slowly fading on the horizon.

Make memories
Like photos, making memories & thinking about what I've done on holiday makes me extremely happy. If I think of all the new places I saw & explored, it instantly brings a smile to my face. Travelling for me is a huge deal in itself, so when I think about how I'm able to go on a plane & be in another country without panicking, I feel so incredibly proud.

Keep up those healthy habits
While on holiday, I try to have a break from social media. Yes it's hard, but it does me the world of good. I feel less attached to my phone & I found myself wanting to leave it behind when we went out for the day & to evening meals. I usually do carry my phone with me everywhere, as I walk a lot of places on my own, but I'm definitely trying to keep it out of reach at home & during the day. I did indulge in quite a lot of food on holiday as well, but that did include alot of salads & fruit. I'm usually quite good at snacking on healthy food at home, but I'm really going to try to keep it up & eat less naughty treats!

Book another trip!
This one has to be my top tip! It honestly is the one thing that gets my mind off the holiday blues. Make sure you've got something to look forward to in your diary. Whether that is a day trip, another holiday or just a few days away, book it in before you leave, so you know when you come back, you have something to get excited for! James & I currently have a week in France coming up at the end of July & Elisa & I are heading to Devon for a couple of days in August too, so I have quite a few things to look forward to.

I hope this helps some of you beat those holiday blues. I really am going to try to take my own advise & snap out of it.. but don't judge me if you see me walking around in a bikini with a cocktail pretending I'm not in rainy England.. : ' )

Oh & keep an eye out for my holiday post which will be coming up soon! I'm currently sorting through over 600 photos & videos, but I can't seriously wait to share all our adventures with you guys!

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Life Lately #148

Hello lovelies,

As you're reading this, I'm hopefully sunning myself on the Greek island of Kefalonia! I am so ready for a holiday it's unreal. 

Anyway, flash back to last weekend, when I met up with my best girl Ricka for brunch. We hadn't seen each other for so long, it was so nice to have a catch up. We tried a new place for breakfast in town (I say new, they moved location, so it felt like a new place!) & we had the most delicious meal, overlooking the old part of town, from the top floor, with the window wide open. The weather last weekend was absolutely glorious down south & despite the recent week of rain, it still has been really warm. 

In the afternoon, I watched James play cricket. The season has recently started up again & it was lovely to bask in the sunshine while he was playing!

I went to visit mum that evening & saw the doggies. We went on a walk around the field by my parent's house & the sun was still glorious. It was so hot - unlike most bank holidays in the UK!

On Sunday, James & I went back to Shere. We visited the village a few months ago (it was a lot colder then!) & we decided to go again for another roast as it was so delicious last time. I wrote a full post on our day out which you can read here if you like. We went for another walk around the village before heading to the pub & found this adorable little library in the middle of the woods. How cute is that! We're going to take a book to trade next time we go!

It was Boop's birthday at the beginning of March so we organised a girl's day last Thursday to Brighton. It was a surprise for Boop, she had no idea where we were going or what we were doing. We started with lunch at Giggling Squid, one of our absolutely favourite place to eat, before heading to an escape room at 3pm. I'd never done one before but it was so much fun! We actually managed to solve the puzzles & escape in 47 minutes, which we were chuffed with. We're looking to go back again in the Summer, as they've just opened up another room there that looks good fun!

& finally I spent the end of the week packing! I can't tell you how excited I am for this holiday! I'm going to completely sign off social media, so will see you all when I get back next week! : )

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Life Lately #147

Hello lovelies,

I know you're probably all incredibly bored of me talking about my new house by now (especially if you read last week's post!) but I'm still absolutely loving it! I can't believe we've been moved in over a month now & the weather has been so beautiful, we've been out in the garden eating breakfast & dinners most evenings. We've also had family & the doggies over for BBQ's, which has been lovely! Honey & Harvey adore the garden & spent the first day exploring every nook & cranny they could stick their noses in. Once our grass seed has improved the lawn, I can see them sitting out there for hours! 

We have also been doing some work on the actual garden. Like I say, we've laid some weed killer & grass seed, as well as planted some flowers & seeds for onions & lettuces. I've started weeding the patio as well, but had to stop as I got so hot last weekend! I'm currently writing up another post all about falling in love with our garden, which I can't wait to share with you.

At the end of April, it was Gem's birthday. We celebrated by having the most delicious roast at a local pub. Baby Alice also said my name & made me cry, much to Boop's amusement!

At the beginning of May, James & a few of the girls & I went to watch Bo, Chris, Cathy & Ben perform in a play at our local theatre. It was such a good production! They performed Night Must Fall, a play I have to admit I hadn't heard of, which actually made it alot more interesting to watch the story unfold. 

The Sunday after, James & I went to Hever Castle. It was the most stunning day & we explored the castle & gardens before heading home to a BBQ with Allan & Maria. I've written a full post about our day here if you'd like to see what we got up to.

James & I went to Prezzo for a date night on last Wednesday. I know we live together but with our work schedules being so different, there's nothing quite like getting dressed up & spending quality time together. I have to mention my dish, it was absolutely delicious. I had the penne gorgonzola, which I'd highly recommend!

Last Saturday, the girls came round to mine for a housewarming / Eurovision night as James was in London on a stag do. We all dressed up in connection with our countries, either colours from the flag or something related to the country. We also had a prize for the highest placed country, which Char won! Congrats again Israel!

Last Sunday I went to Ikea with Cathy. We had such a good time! I managed to pick up a few extra bits for the house, including some more tea lights, which I buy on every single trip! But I did manage to resist bringing another plant home.. amazing for me as I seem to pick up a new baby every time we go..

Oh & I've been feeling like complete death this past week. I've been off sick from work & am just starting to feel human again. It always feels so wrong to me being ill at this time of year, it's Summer! I should be out in the garden with my plant babies, not wrapped up in 10 blankets sweating my face off! Nice image for you there.. haha!

Oh & I can't not mention the Royal Wedding in this post. What an amazing day, Meghan looked absolutely stunning & I honestly couldn't have been more proud of our country. I actually wish I'd booked the day off work & had the girls round because it would have been so much fun as I heard there were so many wonderful events in our area!

& finally yesterday James & I went to Brighton as we had some vouchers to use at Café Rouge. Never, ever again will be go to Brighton on the same day as the "mini marathon". The journey was supposed to take us 45 minutes max, but we ended up on the road for 2 hours. The traffic was at a complete standstill in some places & we had to call the restaurant twice to say we were going to be late! They were very understanding & weren't fully booked thankfully, so we managed to get a table & sit down to eat at 2.15pm, instead of our initial reservation at 12.45pm. We had planned to go shopping for last minute holiday bits as well, but we couldn't face the shops after the ordeal of getting there, so we headed home! We had a lovely lunch regardless, it was just so frustrating!

How has your week been lovelies? Did you watch the Royal Wedding?

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Our Adventure To Hever Castle

Hello lovelies!

On Sunday, James & I went to Hever Castle.

It's a place I'd heard so much about but had never visited. My parents kindly bought James & I gift vouchers to go for Christmas & as we had a heatwave in the UK, we decided it was the perfect day to go.

We'd done our research online & saw that the castle tour would take around an hour & the gardens about 1 hour 30. We packed a picnic, suncream & my camera & headed off down the M23. As it was such a beautiful day, we took my car so we could have the roof down & even though we got attacked by the fairies on the route, it was so nice to finally feel the sun on our faces!

The first thing you see when you arrive is the lake, which was absolutely stunning with the sun shining on it. You can hire a paddle boat or pedalo to enjoy on the lake, or you can walk around it, which takes approximately 1 hour 15. We went & took a few pictures by the side of the lake but didn't actually complete the walk as it was so hot, we just enjoyed taking in the view!

We decided to do the castle tour first, so we made our way through the Italian & Rose Garden to the castle. As it was May bank holiday weekend, the grounds were alive with Morris dancers, families dancing round the maypole (which brought back fantastic memories for me from Primary School!) & there was even a procession following the Green Man through the gardens! Obviously there are different events on for different days, James & I were also very keen to see the jousting which is happening in July & August & the 'Castle Canines' event at the beginning of August.

The tour of the castle was extremely busy! If you're going to do it, just be aware you are stuffed in a confined space with alot of other visitors & it can get a bit squished heading up & down the stairs! (We both commented on how Henry getting up & down the stairs would have been near enough impossible as they were so tiny!) It's definitely worth doing & you find out alot of history about the castle & Anne Boleyn's life.

We then sat & had a picnic by the river, next to the castle which was the most perfect view of the gardens. After that, we headed back towards the rose garden but I caught sight of the most beautiful staircase in the distance. Just look at it! It reminded me of something out of Beauty & The Beast! It was just incredibly charming.

Of course, I then got James to take a flurry of photos of me on said staircase. BUT JUST LOOK HOW CUTE IT WAS! & it seemed extremely quiet, a few other people had ventured to it, but otherwise it was secretly hidden in the grounds. Once you reached the top of the staircase, there was a beautiful waterfall as well, with some benches to sit on & flowers decorating the path. I'd definitely recommend finding it if you go!

Have you ever been to Hever Castle? We'll definitely look to go back again to enjoy the gardens in the Summer.

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Moving Into Our New Home

Hello lovelies!

If you didn't already know, James & I have moved into our new home! On 7th April, we moved out of our 1 bed flat, into our 2 bed house, on the other side of town. 

When I think back to that Saturday, I actually feel quite sick. Not necessarily in a bad way, but even now, the actual moving day was a bit of a blurr. I cried, I laughed, I gained lots of bruises & my back ached for days, but now looking back almost 3 weeks on, all I feel is happiness.

On the morning of the 7th, James & I drove to our house to meet Mark, the guy who would be doing our inventory for us at 9am. This is where it all started to go downhill. I was already stressed from packing manically the week before & once we started looking round the house & pulling it to pieces (every crack, scratch, dent, mark has to be recorded) I was feeling mildly sick. It wasn't until the guy had left & I was standing with James in the middle of the lounge, with nothing surrounding us, I burst into tears. Call it what you will; hormones, excitement, sadness.. it all hit me at once. The house was cold as the tenants before us had moved out a couple of weeks before & all that was going round & round in my head was the guy saying "So this house has had it's fair ware & tare, you can see here this is damaged & this is broken.." Everything got a bit too much & all I could focus on were the negatives. After poor James consoling me best he could, we headed back to our old flat, to meet our "moving family" before loading up the first van full. After another surge of tears & everyone convincing me I'd gone slightly nuts, that this move was honestly the best thing ever, I decided to head back to the new house with my girls to unload the first few boxes. 

I love to organise things & be in control so we thought being in the new place unpacking was the best thing for me to do while James stayed at the flat (& it got me out of the flat that I was so upset about saying goodbye to!) The girls were amazing & we set about making ourselves busy in the kitchen, un-packing the cutlery, plates & pans. The boys would occasional rock up with heavy furniture & I could direct it all to the places I wanted them! After an hour or two I was starting to feel more relaxed. My brain had told me this was the right move for us & once I'd got a few of our things into the house, I felt so much better. 

If you have moved before, you'll know that the majority of the day is one big blurr & to be honest, that's exactly what it was. I remember unpacking boxes & cleaning & hunting for the kettle (FYI, it was the last thing we found, despite my strategic packing!) but the rest of the day went by so fast.

A few people stayed after we'd moved everything in & we grabbed a cheeky KFC for dinner. Luckily Allan, Alex & James had set up our bed & Maria had been kind enough to make it up for us, so we literally crashed about 9pm. 

The next morning, I actually surprised myself & woke up & knew exactly where I was. I wasn't feeling on edge or upset, but content. James woke me up at 8.30 (Tbh I was so tired, I could have slept till midday!) & made me a cup of tea & we set about unpacking a few more boxes. We figured out how to use the washing machine, the hob & attempted putting up the washing line. (Update, I've only just figured out how to properly use it without it collapsing but it's still an on-going battle!) 

The following Monday we headed back to the flat to clean. This day probably topped the stress of the moving day.. I absolutely love clean things, I just hate cleaning. We spent the whole day on our hands & knees cleaning the flat top to bottom, before taking photos & heading home. 

Friday was our official check out date & as James had to work, I met our agents at the flat to give back our keys. It did feel slightly weird knowing it was the last time I'd ever be in our first home again, but I wasn't as upset as I thought I'd be. It will always be extremely special to me, it was the first home James & I shared together, along with our first Christmas & other countless memories. However, our new home has become so special already.

I hope this post doesn't sound all doom & gloom, I mean, firstly, we now have a garden! YES. A garden! Our outdoor furniture arrived last week & we have been making the most of this "heatwave" by trying to eat breakfast outside in the mornings & having tea in the afternoons. Last weekend, mum & I went to our local garden centre & got some new plants which I have potted in our beautiful pink pots Nicola kindly got me for my birthday. I've also purchased a few seeds, so I'm going to attempt to grow a few onions, carrots & lettuces! I've never been into gardening, but I'm extremely excited to have a garden to experiment with now!

We also have a second bedroom which we have turned into an office / second bedroom. Just having an additional space has made our lives feel alot less cluttered & spacious. I also adore our bedroom & lounge, in the evenings I light all our candles & we have fairy lights on around the windows & TV stand. It's really starting to feel like home.

Writing this post, I honestly thought I'd feel more upset about knowing I'll never be going back to our flat again, but actually, I'm not. I'm so happy in our new place, I never thought it would feel as homely as it does so soon. It was definitely the right time to move on & perfect timing for Summer. I can't wait to get everyone round for a BBQ & games!

I just wanted to say a final thankyou to everyone that helped us move & for all our housewarming gifts. We are seriously so grateful & couldn't have done it without you all!

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Life Lately #146

Hey lovelies!

So I'm back after my 'break'. I hate calling it that, but to be honest, that's exactly what it was & what I needed. I learnt from when we moved last year that it was almost impossible to keep up with blogging while moving house & working a full time job. I don't know how some people do it! Anyway, we are now all settled & have just got our internet activated again, so I'm officially back!

Giving myself time off was excatly what I needed. I know last year I went through a phase with my blog where I just didn't enjoy writing it anymore. I was pushing myself to get posts out that I just wasn't that happy with but I refuse to do that now. Hopeully I'll have a lot more of the content I want on here & not just posting words because I need too.

Anyway! Enough of me waffling on! I wanted to share a few updates of what I've got up to over the past few weeks.

Firstly, little Alice celebrated her 1st birthday! I met up with Gem at Costa to give her her presents & cards & she loved them! I can't believe a year has gone by of her life.. only seems like yesterday Gem was pregnant.

I also went with Mils to see a show our friend Sheryl was directing. It was all about the pangolin, an endangered animal being hunted for fun. It was truly eye-opening & the cast where all from our local college & they were fantastic!

& then it was Easter! I unfortunately had to work alot of the extended weekend, but managed to have some time with my family around my shifts. James & I went to visit his mum & partner Barrie on Easter Friday & we saw the Greatest Showman Singalong on Saturday evening! It was so much fun, the whole theatre came alive. (COME ALIVVVVVE, COME ALIIIIIVE) Easter Sunday was spent with Allan & Maria & finally Easter Monday we headed to my mums for an Easter egg hunt. We were so spoilt, we're still making our way through our Easter eggs!

& finally, we moved house! The weekend before last, we moved from one side of our home town, to the other! Even though the flat & our new house are only 10 minutes apart, it felt like we were moving miles! The past week & a half has been spent organising our new home, with a trip to Ikea thrown in along the way. I'm going to write a full post on our move, so I won't harp on about it too much now, but we are so happy & can't wait to get started in our garden. (yes, I can finally say we have a garden now!) Our garden furniture arrived last Tuesday & I'm currently sitting writing this in the sunshine. It's seriously the best feeling.

I just wanted to say a masssive thankyou to everyone that helped us move & to those that have helped us out everyday since. We couldn't have done it without you!

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Life Lately #145

Hello lovelies,

In my last post, I mentioned James & I were heading to Crufts for the weekend in Birmingham & if you follow me on Instagram, I'm sure you would be sick of seeing all my dog pictures, but it honestly was so much fun! I got to meet the wonderful JB from The Kingsman & Fru Fru from Beauty & The Beast! I also got to stroke about a million different dogs, I was in heaven.

We stayed in the most adorable Air B'n'B, which was perfect for us. As we were driving up late Friday night, we wanted somewhere we could access after 10pm, which surprisingly limits you on the places you can book! Jo's home was perfect for us & was warm & welcoming when we arrived. Oh & if you haven't booked with Air B'n'B before, you can use my code to get £25 off your first trip! It's the first place I check when James & I are looking for a short break away.

On Sunday it was Mother's Day, so we went over to my parents' for lunch with my grandparents. Mum had made the table look incredible as always, laid out with way too much food. We bought Nan some presents too, here she is buried in a massive box! It was hilarious seeing her open it!

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I'm slowly building up my book collection & recently added Lily Pebbles' book, The F Word. I'm only a few chapters in, but I'm finding it really interesting & very relatable. Have you got a copy?

Last Thursday I met up with my girlies for Pizza & a catch up & it was so lovely to see them & hear all about Boop's birthday! I can't wait to get our plans together for her surprise.. ; )

& finally, I couldn't do another update post without mentioning the snow again.. I mean.. what is actually going on.. it's nearly the first day of Spring!? James & I came back late Saturday night to find our parking space covered by snow, it made our little flat look so pretty. It's now only 2 & a half weeks till we move seriously not looking forward to packing up everything but we're extremely excited to get settled in now. I'm just going to miss our little flat so much.

How has your March been lovelies?

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Our Adventure To Shere - The White Horse

Shere has been a village I've wanted to visit for the longest time. I'd heard so many lovely things about it; a perfect place to have a wonder with some cute little shops & some delicious places to eat. Also, it was where one of my favourite movies, The Holiday was filmed!

James & I both had a Sunday off together at the beginning of February, so decided to head to Shere, for a stroll through the village & have lunch at the White Horse.

I decided to drive which probably wasn't the best idea, as the village is tiny & alot of people park on the road, making it almost impossible to weave through all the cars! However, we survived.. just..

I'd mapped out a walk around Shere to build up an appitite before lunch, called the Villiage Trail. It took us round the back of the village, through a ford, or you can choose to use the footbridge if you aren't wearing approprite footwear! You follow the path round till you get back into the village, by the River Tillingbourne.

The were loads of ducks, big & small on the river & lots of families feeding them bread. We even saw the most adorable bakery called Crumbs, were children were buying bread to feed to the ducks. It was like a scene out of a movie!

We'd booked lunch at the White Horse for 12.15pm that afternoon & I'm so glad we did! They had a sign up to say they weren't taking anymore bookings & were completely full for lunch. Definitely a popular spot & I'd highly recommend booking if you're going to take a trip there.

The pub itself is in the middle of the village & is a 'proper' countryside pub! By that I mean, picture open fireplaces & comfy arm chairs nestled in an old fashioned beamed pub. It has the cutest little seating area out the back, which I'm guessing is heaving in Summer. We weren't seated near the fireplaces, but everytime I went past to the loo, I would stand & enjoy the warmth from the flames before heading back to our table!

Right, onto the food. James started off with the Farmhouse Pate, which I had a small taster of & it was delicious. They provided us with so much pate, there was plenty to share between the two of us!

We both had a roast for main. We sat near a couple who had arrived a bit before us & when we saw their roasts come out, our minds were definitely made up! You aren't just limited to the 'Sunday Menu' - all of the dishes on the lunchtime / evening menu are available if you don't want a roast.

James chose the Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder & because I couldn't make up my mind, I had the Trio Of Roasts, which consisted of pork loin, turkey & beef. All of it was incredible, but the turkey was my favourite, it was so tender & cooked to perfection.

We managed to eat our way through most of the meal, however there was so much on the plate, it would have been near impossible to finish, even though we tried our best! It was one of those moments when you just think "I'm so full, I'm going to explode, but it's so yummy I just want to keep eating!"

After a half hour break, we decided to share a pudding as they all looked so good. We opted for the Chocolate Fudge Cake with ice cream, which again, I can only describe as amazing. It wasn't too big either which we were both hoping after our massive roast!

I'm honestly not exagerating when I say this was one of the nicest pubs I've ever eaten at & we can't wait to go back again! From start to finish, we couldn't fault it.

It also started to snow when we were getting the bill, which just made the whole afternoon even more perfect.

Have you ever been to Shere? We can't wait to go back to visit The Dabbling Duck.

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